The Future of Internet

Many of us have forgotten the sound of 56K modem connecting to the internet as it was ages ago. In reality, for some, no more than a decade has passed since they’ve heard it for the last time. For those of you who are a bit younger and have no memory of Dial-Up, highest internet speed used to be 128 Kbps, which translated into downloading an average sized mp3 file for as long as 10 minutes. Those who were not lucky enough to have ISDN had to cope with double the download time.

Today, however, the situation is quite different and we tend to take our internet quality for granted Downloading an mp3 takes a few seconds at most, an average movie downloads in 10 minutes and we are able to live stream high-definition video without any trouble. Even our data has migrated from hard drives into the cloud. It is like most of our life is stored online.

Considering the world we live in and the way of life we lead, it is not so far-fetched to say that the large portion of our lives depends on the Internet and that, at the same time, its progress is our progress as well. With this in mind, it is evident that the new internet technologies will have a big impact on all of us. We’ll be looking into a couple of new technologies science has in store for us in the future and one that’s been with us for a while, but is still improving.

Fibre optic

Fibre optic is not a new thing. It is the upgrade to the existing cable and DSL types of internet. Though it’s been commercially introduced in the early 2000’s, the coverage of fibre optic is not as widespread as expected, given its age. Speeds gained from fibre optic are immense, starting at 100 Mbps all the way up to 1000 Mbps (gigabit internet) and even more in some experimental cases. Guys over at Fastmetrics created a table of compared internet speed tests of available conventional technologies.

Source: Fastmetrics

Some of the biggest players in the fibre optic internet business in the US are Verizon, AT&T, and Google Optic. Almost all of the world’s internet depends on fiber optic, because cables transmitting intercontinental data are made of optical fibers. Also, this type of internet communication is the backbone of high-speed mobile data – LTE and the upcoming 5G, as it is the only one capable of transmitting such high amount of data – up to 40 Tbsps.

Giga protocol

Current internet protocol TCP has been introduced in 1974. It has been serving us quite well, as a matter of fact, it still does. But, science is such that it won’t leave anything alone just because it works, when there is always a way for it to perform better. That is why Akamai came up with GIGA.

Giga is a new internet protocol that will hopefully replace the TCP protocol in the near future. Initial tests conducted by Akamai, which operates more than 200 000 servers worldwide, show that Giga improves upon TCP to 30% in average.

For example, tests in India and China show improvements of around 150%, and in Germany of only a few percent. This is quite meaningful, as the implementation of Giga does not require additional investments in equipment because it utilizes the existing one. All you will need is a computer and Windows older than XP. Oh, and ISPs to accept the new protocol as well.

5G network

Since the year 2000, phones have been able to connect to the internet via GPRS. Ever since the introduction of 3G we were able to use them for more than just reading the newspaper, browsing social media and instant messaging.

It is quite normal today that you download a song or a video in a matter of seconds to your phone. In the same time, we use our phones to upload photos, videos and high definition audio files to our social media profiles and our cloud storage. Even though some countries have just been connected via 4G, the 5G network is already in the works. It’s being tested by major operators showing massive improvements on the 4G – bigger speeds, lower latencies, more stability, better coverage, better spectral efficiency, etc.
The 5G network might be launched as early as 2020 in some areas.

We have already surpassed internet speeds that enabled us to transfer data at the same speed as we used to in local area networks (100 Mbps and Gigabit). Some older computers won’t be able to utilize the full speed of new protocols and connection types, which will lead to new advancements in the fields of hardware development. Higher internet speeds might even finally instigate the rise of remote gaming and extinguished the need for a locally owned PC or a console.

Who knows, maybe someday we’ll probably be connected directly to the internet via chips implemented into our bodies – Ghost in the Shell anyone?

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/marcusjensen/the-future-of-internet/

3 Simple Ways to Increase the Online Visibility of Your Brand

Every business owner wants to showcase their business to a large number of people, to be able to build a strong customer base and, thus, increase their sales and their ROI. By managing to do that, they can easily expand their business and generate more income. The best and most effective way of raising the awareness of your brand is to increase its online visibility.

By boosting your online visibility, you will be able to reach out to more people and turn them into your customers. You will boost your reputation and ensure you stand out from the crowd. In order to effectively increase your online visibility, you need to implement proper marketing efforts that will create a lot of opportunities for you.

With the right marketing strategies, you can showcase your products or services to your target audience, ultimately enlarging your customer base and improving your brand. Without further ado, let’s take a look at a few simple, but essential ways that will help you increase the online visibility of your brand.

 

Blog Away

A blog is a very powerful marketing tool that is essential for every business. Running a blog is a perfect way to showcase your brand, as you can show your expertise and provide your readers with content of high relevancy. Apart from being a great channel to maintain an ongoing communication with your target audience and promote the products or services you offer, your blog can greatly increase your online visibility.

The more content you provide on your blog, the more visible your online presence will become. If you provide your readers with relevant content of the highest quality, they will always come back for more, thus increasing your page views and the traffic coming to your site, which will help you with your SERP ranking. Moreover, by creating great content, you will provide your readers with better user experience, which is also a very important factor for improving your search engine ranking, since Google uses user experience to determine the relevancy and performance of your website.

Having good SEO and plenty of valuable content on your website is crucial for your online visibility, so blog away and create the best content to attract your target audience and engage them in your brand.

 

Provide High-Quality Content

Content is the key for the success of every business, since it is exactly what will sell your products or services. Apart from creating fresh and original content for your blog, you should put your efforts into making every other piece of content on your website just as good and relevant.

Since your landing page is probably the first thing your customers will see when they visit your website, make sure the content you provide there is relevant and informative. Make sure it is engaging and shows your existing and potential customers exactly who you are. The same goes for every other page on your website, especially if you’re in the e-commerce business and need to have great descriptions of every product in order for them to capture the attention of the viewers.

To make your content more engaging, you should have a lot of beautiful images, as well as videos, on your website, since visuals have the power of easily grabbing people’s attention. Videos can tap into your customers’ consciousness and impact their purchase decisions, so it’s very important to include them on your site. They can also greatly improve your SEO ranking, thus increase your online visibility.

 

Engage in Social Media

Social media websites are some of the best marketing tools nowadays, so it is crucial to establish your social media presence. There is absolutely no better way to increase your online visibility than to promote your brand on various social media networks that enable you to showcase it to millions of people.

Since pretty much everyone is online for the most of their time, engaging people in your brand via social media can be an extremely easy thing to do. You just need to remember to always stay active and communicate with your customers. Allow them to give you feedback and respond to their comments and messages in a timely manner. It will show them that you respect them and value their opinion, which will only engage them more and make them want to visit your website to find out more about your business.

It will help you connect with your target audience and build a stronger relationship with them, which is essential for turning them into your customers. Social media engagement will draw more traffic to your website, thus increase your online visibility and improve your ranking in the SERPs for the desired long tail keywords.
There are a lot more marketing tactics and strategies you can implement to raise the awareness of your brand and improve your business, but these are the basic and most important ones that you should consider. Making your brand visible online is crucial for achieving your goals, so make sure you take these steps that are vital to your ultimate success.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/nmanojlovic/3-simple-ways-to-increase-the-online-visibility-of-your-brand/

Getting Your IT Start-up off The Ground in 3 Easy Steps

The way from developing an idea into a startup to reading the unicorn status is a long and treacherous one. Motivated by the success of numerous IT startups, many first time entrepreneurs just dive into the industry without proper preparation, which in return ends in disaster for most of them.

Even if you have secured the funding, there are several important aspects that need to be considered when deciding to enter the world of startups. In this article we will explore the three main pillars of a successful startup launch, market research, staffing and marketing. So let’s start!  

Market research

You may think that you have the perfect app or software tool, one that users will go crazy for, but have you checked how popular or used are similar tools. Before even thinking about launching a startup it is imperative to do a comprehensive market research. From finding the right user pool to determining the saturation level for your specific type of product.

This might sound harsh but if there is no room in the market for your idea, service or product, it is better to delay the launch and work some more on what you can provide the potential customers. Containing the excitement can sometimes be hard, but it is essential for a smart and successful entrepreneur to know the exactly right time when to put out a certain product.

Getting the right talent for the right price

For most newly formed startups it can be hard to provide the adequate funds for obtaining the right kind of work force. Luckily when it comes to IT and software development startups, remote nearshoring teams are only a click away. Hiring workforce from a nearby developing country can have a significant positive effect on both budget and product quality.

For most people the first instinct is to hire people from their surroundings, colleagues, friends even family. Sadly, this type of decision can sometimes be more costly than productive, and for someone just starting out in the startup industry every penny counts. Initial funding can only get you so far.  

Figuring out the best marketing options

For any new company or product exposure is key. Brand recognizability comes over time and with good marketing strategies. With all the available tools online it is quite easy these days to form an effective marketing campaign targeting a specific group of users. For any IT startup social media can provide great insight into what type of marketing option would be the most effective.

Depending on the user demographic, different options are available. From the less costly ones like creating a social media buzz and an engaging website, to options like campaigns which include affiliate marketing and sponsored posts that can substantially drain your funds. For a startup that is still in its evolving stage, the less costly option is ideal for drawing in the prospected users.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/marcusjensen/getting-your-it-start-up-off-the-ground-in-3-easy-steps/

Sharing Resources: A Solution to the Rising Cost of Living

The generation known as millennials, those who reside between the ages of 20 and 34, exhibit a most interesting pattern of dependence that deviates from former generations. While most children from recent previous generations were chomping at the bit and could not wait to leave the nest, millennials increasingly choose to remain at home or return to live with their parents once again. According to TIME, these sorts of statistics have not been seen since the 1940’s. Reasons cited for this return to post Great Depression statistics include an increased average age for getting married and a general decrease in economic stability. Yet, critics of the trends emerging among millennial wage earners indicate that something more nefarious is likely at play.

Wage Stagnation

Wage stagnation, which occurs when average hourly wages do not increase with the increase in overall economic growth, is perhaps the greater indicator of why millennials get the sense that striking out on their own is not financially feasible. In simple terms, the cost of living is on the rise but the wages being earned remains the same. In essence, this means that the rich corporate owners are keeping the bulk of the afore mentioned profits, those arising from the increase in economic growth, within their own corporate coffers. Some fear this trend is intended to ultimately eliminate the middle class on a massive scale as the gap between the ultra rich and the ultra poor continues to widen at an alarming rate. According to this source, the reasons driving this wage stagnation arises more from intentional detrimental policy making by those with the greatest wealth and political power, rather than from slumping economic factors. In other words, those with the greatest means are making policies for the “have nots”, which ultimately ensures that a growing number of struggling millennials will not be able to strike out on their own. According to YesMagazine, it becomes essential to bring back the negotiating power that the labor force enjoyed before the 1980’s, when such actions as fully organized union strikes were utilized to force business owners to bend corporate policy to meet union demands. Only then will it be possible to normalize wage earnings back to a liveable range for millennials and subsequent generations. Until this happens, millennials are basically forced to share resources with their families or sink financially if that is not an option.

Living Conditions

As a means to cope with the current lagging financial environment, living at home provides millennials with the opportunity to survive while putting some money back for future needs. For those who do not have access to this luxury, even renting out a garage that has been modified to serve as a bedroom is often a lower cost option than trying to sustain monthly apartment rental rates. To make this option available, homeowners need to do a proper clean up, upgrade the garage with insulating door and place furniture to accommodate the modification of their garage for this purpose. Though such living conditions may not seem ideal to those who are used to having their own place, it should be realized that millennials are not as familiar with the idealism of those who have appreciated the luxury of financial stability necessary for living independently. According to article posted here, in order to scrape by and perhaps to even remove some of the stress of living at home, the couchsurfing app provides millennials with a community of people who freely let others sleep on their couch or use their free rooms to crash for the night. The fact that millennials are this adaptive in their shared resource-based living arrangements may itself be a sign of how something must give in order to bring financial stability back to the average wage earner. It is a continuing situation that causes many to wonder if politicians and business owners alike are in touch with the reality of the living conditions their questionable policies are ultimately responsible for heaping on millennials and others struggling to carve out a meaningful existence for themselves.

Conclusion

No one ever said that life would be easy. This has been a generation defining issue for millennials across the board. As an increasing number of millennials seek to keep their head above water financially, they find little support from politicians and business owners who appear to believe that an endless trend of wage stagnation is acceptable for these modern times. To adapt, millennials have had to learn to live cheaply and share resources with family and others to survive their working years: a time in which they should be thriving to secure the means to provide for their own children and better manage through their fast approaching retirement years.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/twitter-epicninjadaboss/sharing-resources-a-solution-to-the-rising-cost-of-living/

What to Watch Out for When Starting a Supplement Company

 

The supplement industry is a multibillion dollar juggernaut that isn’t going to slow down soon. The challenges of running a lasting supplement brand are many. The amount of competition in this industry is immense with the larger companies taking out advertorials in nearly every fitness industry magazine. Although the competition might be fierce, having a hit product can launch a supplement company into immortality. The following are just a few things to watch out for when starting a supplement company.

Marketing Challenges

Some of the larger companies have the budgets to send out free samples to thousands of people. As a supplement startup, it is important to get the products in front of the target demographic.

A great way to have a product tried is by going to bodybuilding conferences or expos. Free samples are given out by many major supplement providers; this is the chance to prove the uniqueness of a product.

Another option is through content marketing, which can be one of the best things that can be done for a supplement. Whether it comes in the form of people reviewing products or even just creating a buzz in forums, this can be the form of marketing that can even the playing field with larger companies.

Social media can also be a great way to interact with people who are interested in supplements. Just by answering questions about the product or about fitness in general could encourage a customer to try the product. The main focus of social media is customer engagement while building brand loyalty.

Skimping on Ingredients

There are plenty of supplements that add quite a lot of fillers. The quality of ingredients is extremely important as many of these supplements are scrutinized by people online. While higher quality ingredients might be a bit more expensive, consumers are willing to pay.  Certain supplements contain things that can be dangerous in high doses. The lack of supervision by the FDA can make using inferior ingredients dangerous to the users. The companies that have been around for decades specialize in the best ingredients for all of their supplements..

It Is Considered a High-Risk Business

The fact that the supplement industry isn’t tightly regulated leaves it difficult to find payment processors willing to work with the business. Payment processors that specialize in working with high-risk businesses are best as they can protect a supplement company from chargebacks or even people saying the supplement contained false claims.

The high risk and high reward nature of the supplement business can also make it difficult to get a business loan. While there might be loans available, the interest rates won’t be favorable. Banks like to see matching money from the person requesting the loan as this shows personal investment.

Having legal counsel on retainer is essential in nearly any business. In an industry as risky as the supplement industry, legal counsel can help with wording on labels. This lawyer can also go to court for any lawsuits, whether they are legitimate or trumped up. Pick a lawyer who specializes in product liability as having a certain ingredient that isn’t marked on a label can cause huge problems in case of death or injury.

The rewards for creating a successful supplement that becomes popular are great. The profit margins can often be up to 5,000 percent in some cases on a certain product. There are pre-workout supplements on the market that can be made for less than a dollar but sell from $30 to $50. Find a niche in the supplement industry and stick to it, you won’t regret it!

 

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/nick-chalker/what-to-watch-out-for-when-starting-a-supplement-company/

Secure Your Future With a Career in Health Care Management

Based on the recent recession, bank failures, bankruptcies, and layoffs have become a common occurrence. With so many businesses facing financial troubles, is there an industry that seems to be protected? As a matter of fact, there is. Based on recent analysis, experts believe that the health care management field has become the most prosperous through both good and bad times. Employees are just as pleased with their career choice because they are making a difference. They are also better able to pay their bills because their salary is just as rewarding.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Over 100,000 workers have made health care management their choice in careers. The U.S. Department of Labor figures that one out of every five career choices over the next seven years will lie in the health care field. That comes out to approximately 20 percent of U.S. jobs will be health care related positions. The joy that comes with helping others through health issues such as cancer can be rewarding. Others want to get into the industry because the field is growing at an explosive rate. This means that each year the job opportunities in health care management will be staggering at every level.

Career Transitions Recommended

In order for a clinic, rehabilitation center, hospital, or research facility to function, they need a variety of health care workers at each level. Many of today’s hospital administrators have advanced degrees to back their positions. Registered nurses and physicians who hold a degree are recommended to make career transitions into health care management positions.

Diverse Backgrounds

No matter if you have a nursing degree or not, the career path to health care management is a wise choice. When considering an employment opportunity in health care, most individuals think of nurses, doctors or specialized techs. But these duties are usually supported by health care managers. Without an advanced degree in health care administration or management, you may find it a challenge to advance into an executive position.

A health care management degree provides students with the necessary skills to boost productivity. The rigorous curriculum also allows students the opportunity to assess, learn data drive and analytical approaches necessary to access the health care ecosystem. As more people face varying health-related challenges, your education will provide you with the tools to tackle the most complex of health care issues.

Rewarding and Satisfying Career Opportunity

There are very few professions where an employee can touch the lives of others the way you can in health care management. No matter if you bring someone new into the world or save a life, your daily tasks have a huge impact. Through your treatments and better education, you can even provide your community with the knowledge or tools to help prevent and treat diseases. Salaries are also rewarding in the health care manager field with CEOs earning over $220,000 on average.

Offers a Brighter and Secure Future

Corporations and small businesses have been hurt by the recession. The current shaky stock market has made it even scarier for businesses to think about growing and expanding their customer base. But for those in the health care industry, employees have seen a huge boon to their job prospects. Their salaries have even grown extensively to support the rise in food, gas and cost of living prices. With the transition from paper to electronic medical records, the demand for jobs in the field are proving stronger. If you have a degree, your job opportunities and salary rates will be even higher. If you find yourself not liking one position, there are hundreds of other positions you may want to explore.

Improve the Quality of Your Community

An amazing benefit to working in the health care industry is that your job can be life changing. A health care manager is focused on the health system and making it run efficiently. This can then help the patient and how they receive care. Health care administrators are instrumental in working toward policy changes. This includes better opportunities for the poor who lack coverage and preventative care. An administrator can also boost hospital visits through better physician and patient communication and making sure sick individuals enjoy a sterile and germ-free stay.

The Top Rated Health Care Jobs for the Coming Year

The health care industry has taken the top spot as some of the best jobs to have for the coming year. Based on stress levels, salary, advancement and work/life balance, there are five jobs that seem to be the most popular. These include physician assistant, nurse anesthetist, pediatrician, nurse practitioner, and anesthesiologist.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/nick-chalker/secure-your-future-with-a-career-in-health-care-management/

Tough College Assignments and How to Ace Them

No matter the school, the major, or the year you are in college, you will at some point (or at several points, to be perfectly honest) encounter a difficult, seemingly impossible, dreaded assignment. And while your first instinct may be to avoid the thought of it and put it off until its due date, that is one of the worst strategies you can utilize.

All assignments are doable, if you know how to attack them. Read on to find out how to make any difficult assignment a bit more manageable, a little less stressful, and maybe even a tad more enjoyable.

1. Break the assignment into smaller pieces

You do not want to write a paper, finish a report, or complete any of these large assignments in one sitting. While the thought of the entire project may sound daunting, think of it as a set of smaller, less intimidating steps that when combined, will create a final product. With each project, there are different strategies to break the work up. Separate the project in a way that is realistic and well-suited to the assignment, making sure you are including each stage of work. For example, for a research paper, you would want to break the project up into several mini-steps such as research collection, research analysis, paper outline, writing each section of the paper, completing the reference list, editing, revising, and so on. To help yourself even more, you could even break each piece up into smaller sections.

2. Create a timeline

Once you have your assignment pieces, you’re ready to start timing them out. Oftentimes, college professors only assign a final date, leaving the tough part of staying on task up to you. To avoid procrastination and keep yourself accountable, you should create a timeline that is realistic, manageable, and that will ensure you complete your assignment in time. Begin by giving yourself time to understand the assignment, as that is necessary before beginning any actual work. Give yourself time for several drafts, even if they aren’t required, as well as time to edit those drafts.

3. Determine what questions you have up front

If you have walked through the assignment, broken it into steps, and created a timeline, you should have a good understanding of the task you are setting out to accomplish. With that, you probably have a good deal of questions that you need answered. By compiling questions (and getting the answers!) that you may run into early on in the assignment, you are proactively avoiding problems that could potentially occur and slow you down throughout the process.

4. Meet with your professor, peers, or TA

Even if you find that you don’t have any questions you need answered, it is always a good idea to run your initial ideas by a group of peers or a TA. Speaking with other people about your plans for an assignment is always a good gut-check to make sure you have thought each part out carefully. When you’re talking things out, you may realize something you’re missing, a mistake in thinking that you’ve made, or you may realize you have even better ideas.

5. Incentivize completion of the project

There is nothing better than a little self-incentivizing to help yourself finish a project. Because you’ve broken up the project into so many pieces, you can choose a little incentive to get you through each part. Maybe you reward yourself to a treat for each milestone you accomplish—think ice cream or a Netflix binge. Or maybe you treat yourself to something you really want once you’ve finished the entire project, like a pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on or a weekend trip you’ve been wanting to take. Having something to strive for, aside from a good grade, can be extremely motivating and make the project a little more enjoyable.

6. Double-, triple-, and quadruple-check your work

The last step to nailing a difficult assignment is to thoroughly check your work. First, you are checking that your ideas are structurally sound, your assignment is presentable, and that your grammar and spelling are on point. But you also need to check to make sure that you have completed all parts of the assignment. If you completed step one, this shouldn’t be a problem, but it is always good to cover all your bases.  

No matter how much you love learning, there will be a time when a tough assignment comes along that you are not exciting about doing. While this is completely normal, those who know the tips and tricks to succeed on the project know that even the most difficult assignments can be manageable and rewarding.
Brittany Phillips is a contributing writer for Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/varsitytutors/tough-college-assignments-and-how-to-ace-them/

Why Surety Bonds Are a Good Option for Your Business?

Most entrepreneurs consider surety bonds as an unwanted necessity imposed by the government and obligees. This is far from truth, since surety bonds come with long list of benefits for both obligees and contractors. In this article we are going to inspect how surety bonds can help your business.

Contractor’s surety bonds and basic benefits they come with

There are some general benefits all contractor’s surety bonds come with. They…

• Protect contractors from capital claims that might occur if an obligee is not satisfied with their work;
• Help contractors to undergone strict project competition with much less paperwork and hassle;
• Motivate contractors to finish awarded projects faster, since they often require company owners to provide corporate or personal indemnity;
• Are governing complicated relations between obligees, contractors and subcontractors and make biding and project work more transparent for all sides;
• Provide contractors with more bidding opportunities;
• Enable contractors to use all of their assets in order to complete the project successfully.

In addition to this, all surety companies guarantee that they will finish the project in case of contractor’s default. Although contractor is required to pay for project completion (plus legal costs), this way surety companies protect contractor’s reputation and enable them to keep their company running and bid on future projects.

Surety companies usually provide expert help of their agents and underwriters, who have a lot of experience in both construction and legal side of project work. They offer technical, financial, management and legal help to all of their clients.

Specific benefits each type of contractor’s bonds provides

Surety bonds protect both obligees and contractors in all kinds of arrangements that follow construction projects. There are several types of contractor bonds, with each covering one project phase and providing special set of benefits for both obligees and contractors. There are:

• Bid bonds– They protect the public from irresponsible bidding and allow contractors to bid to various types of construction projects, with or without government funding.
• Performance bonds– These bonds represent a guarantee to obligees that project performance will go in accordance to plan and it will be finished in a timely-manner. After contractors are awarded with the project, these bonds allow them to start their work.
• Payment bonds– Payment bonds are especially useful for subcontractors, laborers and staffing firms. They guarantee that contractor will pay all work provided by third-party companies and individuals.
• Maintenance bonds– Projects that include warranty in most cases require contractors to purchase maintenance bonds. They guarantee that contractor will conduct regular repairs and maintenance.
• Supply bonds– Entrepreneurs who run supply companies need to purchase supply bonds in order to work on projects that require them to deliver materials.

Other types of bonds and the ways they can help your business

Other major type of surety bonds are license surety bonds. This type of surety is required for entrepreneurs that are starting various types of service businesses. This includes: opening a car dealership, travel agency, brokerage etc. License surety treats consumers as obligees and it secures that companies provide good-quality service that is in accordance to government standards. These bonds also protect entrepreneurs and their companies from capital claims and guard their reputation in front of consumers.

All other types of bonds can be classified under ‘Commercial Bonds’ group. There are many different types of commercial bonds with Fidelity surety being the most useful one for entrepreneurs because it protects companies and their customers from fraudulent activities of their employees.
In addition to all benefits we mentioned, surety bonds represent an obligation to all contractors bidding on expensive projects. This means that without buying surety bonds from registered agents and underwriters, contractors can’t even enter the bidding process, which is why surety represents an utmost necessity for every entrepreneur who wants to do business on construction market.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/marcusjensen/why-surety-bonds-are-a-good-option-for-your-business/

How to Support a Cancer Patient in the Workplace

Every cancer patient deals with their troubles differently, depending on their personality and lifestyle. It affects them both physically and emotionally, so if some of your employees are diagnosed with cancer, you need to be able to help them when it comes to their career in every way possible. You need to learn all the facts, so that you can offer assistance to meet their needs. It’s important to consult with your Human Resources department and learn about all the ways in which you can help your employees.

It’s important that you don’t treat them differently and, thus, make them feel uncomfortable, but to assist them like you would in case of any other health problem. Of course, you must have in mind the fact that they will certainly need a little bit of adjustment at work, but you should definitely not treat them as if they have a disability.

You need to talk to your other employees as well and ensure that there isn’t any prejudice involved or any other kind of discrimination. Here are the crucial things you should do if an employee in your organization is diagnosed with cancer.

 

Allow Flexible Working Hours

 

It is a fact that an employee with cancer will need some time off once in awhile, especially when their treatment begins. You need to talk to them and tell them that they don’t need to fear that they would lose their job if they don’t come to work sometimes. It’s completely normal to take some time off, especially if they don’t feel well and need rest.

In many cases, people diagnosed with cancer become more energized and they want to work harder, since that helps them cope with the illness and it makes them feel better. They even become more productive and more focused on their career. However, many people need a more flexible working schedule and you need to provide it for them.

Allow them to work from home if they want to or to take extra time off, without it affecting their career. They are having a difficult time and they should be able to take medical leave if it gets difficult for them to function at work.

 

Let Them Adjust in Their Own Way

 

Everyone copes with a cancer diagnosis in their own way, so it is crucial that you let an employee with cancer adjust at work in the way they feel most comfortable. However, you should keep the lines of communication open and encourage them to openly talk about it if they want to. Offer them a listening ear and be there for them whenever they need you to. You should encourage your other employees to do the same and offer any kind of help and support, as well as assistance at work.

If they don’t want to talk about their health problem, don’t push it. Let them adjust in their own way. Being focused on work provides them with a distraction from any problem they have, especially when it’s something as serious as cancer. That is why many people don’t want to talk about it at work, since it is the one place where they can take their mind off of it all and direct their energy towards something other than doctor’s appointments and treatment.

 

Make It Easier for Them

 

You are responsible for the well-being of your every employee, so it’s important to keep up with everything that is going on with an employee who has cancer, so that you can be of every possible assistance. Not treating them differently than your other employees is important, but you should rearrange the workload. They may require extra work, but you should make it easier for them by giving them fewer tasks to deal with, so that they don’t stress out over having to do too much to do.

Offer them some medical help, that is, recommend a good doctor or, even better, schedule the appointment for them. Find the best medical oncology center and help them get the care and treatment they need. It’s crucial for them to get all the support and understanding they need. So, make sure you provide it to them.
Dealing with cancer is stressful and frightening, but work can truly help a lot especially in a healthy work environment. It can distract people trying to cope with cancer and make them feel a lot better. Therefore, if you happen to have an employee who is dealing with this terrible disease, make sure you do everything in your power to provide them with assistance and a little bit of different work settings to perfectly meet their needs. Nevertheless, remember that the most important thing is to simply be there for them in their time of need.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/aleksandarilic/how-to-support-a-cancer-patient-in-the-workplace/

7 Reasons to Choose WordPress for Your Website

Choosing the right CMS platform for your website is no decision, as it directly affects a website’s SEO and growth potential. This is one of the key reasons people decide to go with WordPress. The fact that one third of all websites are based on WordPress shows how much it meets the needs of both bloggers and commercial websites. Here’s 7 key reasons why you should consider using WordPress as your CMS platform.

User-friendliness

With only a couple of online tutorials, setting up a WordPress website is an easy task that anyone can complete. The whole platform was created in a straightforward manner, where all the functions are easy to comprehend and utilize. This makes it easier to start your own website or a blog, without investing money in a team of professionals to build a website for you.

Even the process of updating to the newest version of the platform is fairly easy and can be performed by anyone who comes in contact with the platform.

Customization and features

The customization options are simply endless. First of all, if you are an expert and you know how to code, it is possible to create your own themes or edit the existing ones. If this is not the case, there are plenty of themes online that were created for blogging, e-commerce or any other type of website.

Additionally, besides all the customization options, there is the ability to add further functionality to your WordPress website, by installing various plugins. Choosing the best ones is actually essential for enabling people to share your content on social networks. It is possible to add additional security or improve functionality of the website “under the hood”. All these options are responsible for attracting a great number of users.

Support community

Due to the fact that this is an open source project, there is a great supporting community, which is constantly working on improving this CMS. This is why there are various regular updates occurring, plus the forums on the website can be quite helpful with solving any kind of problem a user might encounter.

This is very important, as it is certain that the user can rely on this solution in the future without worrying about whether a company will simply stop supporting a product. The way things are, the WordPress platform is continually growing and it can be safely said that it is going to be supported for years to come.

It is free

The whole CMS platform is completely free to use. This is another positive thing about open source projects. This is at the top of the list of reasons why people decide to use this platform. However, despite the fact that there is a wide variety of free themes and plugins, there are those that come with a fee, but this is completely optional and it completely depends on the user’s requirements.

Security

Creating a website requires people to take numerous important steps, one of which is improving the security of the website. Incredibly, all the basic security features are included in the WordPress installation. It is possible to add additional security to WordPress by installing plugins or adding some code.

It is a modern CMS platform

The word modern here refers to the latest compatibility of the CMS with new technologies. For example, the current trends show that more people are coming to websites from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The fact that WordPress is already optimized for mobile devices ensures that a greater part of possible traffic visiting your website is already taken care of and that there are no necessary steps you need to take to make it more mobile friendly. This is very important, as following the latest trends is very important for getting a higher amount of website traffic.

The platform is SEO friendly

This is very important, as it makes it easier for people to find your website online. Additionally, it saves time because you don’t have to fine tune all the small things on the website that search engines take into account when ranking your website. By installing some good SEO plugins it is possible to further improve the SEO friendliness of your website. These plugins make it easier for people to edit the robots.txt and XML sitemaps, which are important when a search engine indexes your website.

These are some of the most important reasons why millions around the globe decide to go with this CMS. If you are planning to run a website, WordPress is definitely a solution you can rely on.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/vladzivanovic/7-reasons-to-choose-wordpress-for-your-website/

Best Ways to Reward Your Employees

Every successful entrepreneur knows that one of the keys for continued success is working with people who are happy with the opportunities they are given, the work environment and the way they are treated by their superiors.

From the point where you stand, it might seem as a given that a happy worker is a committed worker, but you’d be surprised how many firms neglect their staff, thinking they’ll do just fine without their best people. Unfortunately, the climate we live in propagates the idea of everyone being replaceable, one way or another, which is why plenty companies are suffering major losses in the midst of this fallacy.

Assuming you are one of those rare smart people who are not only committed to turning your firm into a well-known enterprise but also cherishing people you work with, we are giving you a few ideas that will help you make your employees realize how important they are to you. Mind you, little things do really mean a lot, and small signs of attention will take your business relationships to a whole different level.

 

Bonuses

Not that you didn’t know that money plays a huge role in life, but it doesn’t harm to remind you of it.

To show your best employees what an amazing work they are doing, award them with a bonus they certainly haven’t expected. This will definitely give them an additional boost while at the same time send a positive message to everyone else at the office – that you are actually awarding those loyal and committed to doing good work.

Gift cards

Everyone loves presents, no matter their age or the type of work they are doing. Presenting your best employees with a gift card for some of the currently popular brands everyone is talking about. Even better, make it for things you are certain will be beneficial for your people. That way you are showing them you care for them personally, not only on a business level.

Vacation days

No matter how in love someone is with their job, they are probably more in love with their partners and their families. Awarding your best employees a few extra vacation days would be a amazing! Give them as many days as you feel it is okay and let them use those days when they want to. They’ll be over the moon, we promise!

Furthermore, if you feel like a particular employee has deserved more than a few days off, you may even present them with vacation offers the firm is willing to pay for them. Speak about the best firm ever, right?

Thoughtful gifts

Although buying your employees/colleagues gifts can be a bit tricky (because, unless you are very close outside of work, you can’t be certain what it is that they like), there are a few items you can never go wrong with.

If you feel like rewarding your best employee, treat them to a nice set of high quality wines. If you know their favorite, even better! Getting someone wine is a sophisticated, never-goes-out-of-style gift and you’ll definitely get your employees’ appreciation.

Other gifts that may be appreciated are office equipment like high quality headphones, tablets, USB sticks, external Hard Drives, laptop bags and tablet cases, and other equipment alike.

Spa weekends

There are rarely any jobs left that don’t revolve around spending long hours at the office and in front of the computer; this is not a natural environment for any of us, nor is the constant staring at the screen healthy. This is why presenting your employees with a voucher to a spa weekend in the best local spa centre or outside of town is a spectacular gift! There’s nobody who will say “No” to a massage, a day at the pool and quality foods, with full service on top of it! Spa (gifts) is a fantastic way for your employees to recharge and come fresh and happy back to work.

Good luck with your choices and remember – your employees are the core value of your firm, and the more you appreciate them, the better it’ll be for your company in the long run!

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/marcusjensen/best-ways-to-reward-your-employees/

3 Most Important Benefits of Having a Business Blog

Blogging is one of the most important marketing tactics that can help you reach your target audience and grow your business. It is the best channel for communicating with your target audience and engaging them in your brand. In order to reach more customers, you certainly need to market your business and promote the products or services you offer, and having a blog will help you accomplish that. It is a great way to showcase your brand message and enlarge your customer base.

No matter what field of business you are in, blogging can offer you a number of benefits that can help you take your company to another level and lead it towards success. However, you need to know that success cannot be reached overnight and you must invest a lot of time and effort into making your blog as effective for your brand as possible. When you implement all the right marketing tactics into your blogging efforts, you will most certainly succeed in improving and expanding your business.

If you are reading this, it’s safe to assume that you are considering creating a blog and you want to know what exactly that would mean for your business so, without further ado, let’s take a look at all the amazing benefits blogging can offer you.

 

Building Trust with Your Existing and Potential Customers

 

Having a blog and providing your readers with great content is the best way to build trust with both your customers and your potential prospects. People love reading good content and a lot of studies have shown that they trust the information they read on blogs, so you should definitely use that to attract them and capture their attention.

Providing your readers with high-quality content will make them engaged in your brand and they will always come back for more. You need to be consistent and provide fresh content regularly, as well as make sure that the content has real value. That will make you your readers’ go-to resource that can always help them and provide them with a solution they are looking for.

That helps you build trust with them, turning them into your most loyal customers. Personalizing your content will make your customers get to know you and your business better, which will help you create a long-lasting relationship with them.

 

Increasing Your SEO Ranking

 

You have certainly come across the term “content is king” many times all over the internet. That is because it truly is king, as it is a thing of great value to your company. Not only does it help you reach more customers and increase your sales, but it also helps you boost your SEO ranking.

Search engines, especially Google, place high value on quality content and, if you manage to provide it on a regular basis, that will definitely help you improve your SEO ranking, as well as increase your visibility on search engines result pages. With increased visibility, you will improve your credibility and reach even more customers, which will result in you increasing your sales, generating more income and ultimately expanding your business.

 

Attracting More Traffic to Your Website

 

Blogging regularly and always providing your readers with fresh content will definitely attract more readers, so you will certainly drive more traffic to your website. Since high-quality content will boost your SERP and your SEO ranking, driving more traffic to your site will actually be pretty easy. With more traffic coming to your site, it goes without saying that you will be able to generate more leads and have a lot more customers.

When Google and other search engines see that you are regularly providing relevant content rich with relevant keywords, and that you are active and you update your content regularly, they will direct more people to your site, thus pushing even more traffic to it. By increasing your blog traffic, you will also increase your sales and generate more income, which will help you grow your business.

 

Blogging can offer you quite a lot more benefits, but these are really the most important ones that can help you immensely. Running a blog for your business is a fantastic way to take things to a whole new level and ensure you reach success. It can certainly help you turn your business into a lucrative one, so go and create your blog right away and reap all the benefits.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/ivandseo/3-most-important-benefits-of-having-a-business-blog/

Finding a Good Los Angeles Headshot Photographer

Kenneth Dolin will give you a great set of professional headshots, either for a personal event or as a part of your work portfolio? If so, you want to be certain that you are going to have a great experience that is properly priced for the services you receive. Although you may feel a bit overwhelmed due to the number of photographers in the city, there are some things that you can do to narrow down your list.

If you know someone who has used a photographer for a project similar to yours, you can ask for a recommendation. However, you should never hire anyone based on one opinion alone. However, it is a great way to begin your list of potential photographers. You can also use the Internet, local publications or ads in order to compile a list of at least four or five photographers that you are interested in.

Once you have done this, you should check the websites for each company on your list. Read about their policies, services and charges. You should be able to get a pretty good feel for their operation this way. If someone does not have a website, you should be leery of them. While not everyone advertises online, it is one way to help ensure the legitimacy of the business.

You will need to see if they provide the type of photographic services that you need. For instance, some professionals in the business only work in their studio while others prefer to go on location. A great photographer for headshots may never do weddings or similar events. You don’t want to waste time researching a business that will not be able to help you in the end.

With the list of headshot photographers that remain, check out their online reputations. This can be a bit challenging because you need to be certain that the reviews you are reading are legitimate. Do not rely on the ones posted on their own websites. Obviously they are going to delete negative remarks and promote the ones from satisfied customers.

You can search for each company along with the word “review” or “scam,” or even “legitimate.” You should find several URLs that lead to both personal blogs and regular consumer review sites. Check out a mixture and scan through the contents of the feedback. You may find that someone has a lower star rating due to customers that are dissatisfied with their lives and not the services received.

Contact the two or three that stood out in your research and find out if they are available at the time you need. Pay attention to how you are treated on the phone or in the messages. You want to hire someone who respects you and behaves professionally at all times.

Going through these steps will not take much of your time. However, it will help to ensure that you find a photographer who can satisfy your photographing needs now and in the future.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/nick-chalker/finding-a-good-los-angeles-headshot-photographer/

3 Steps You Should Take If You Want to Accumulate Wealth

As we go through our education, we tend to learn about many things that surround us, but we rarely encounter quality lessons about the way we should handle money. This usually comes from the family and the end results vary greatly. There are those who successfully manage their money, however, for a great majority, wealth accumulation seems impossible which is, of course, not true.

There are actually a number of quite easy steps that should be taken. Walking down this path does not mean that you are certainly going to become a millionaire, but it does mean that you are going to have a less stressful life with an above average budget.

Start saving as soon as possible

Many people think that saving a little bit of money is useless, but this is a big mistake. A majority of people feel that they are living for the moment, without thinking about the future. This is the consumerism policy enforced by our modern society. If you can see past all the marketing tricks, you will realize that we actually require very little for a comfortable life.

People often spend money on useless things such as sweets, partying, useless gadgets and devices, without thinking for a moment about how that money could have been saved for a better opportunity in life. Cutting down on life expenses is the perfect way to start your journey towards accumulating wealth.

For example, a very useless investment is a new car, especially if it is only a transportation vehicle and not a tool that is going to earn you more money. The moment you drive it off the car lot, it loses around 15% of its value. Another example is the trend of constantly upgrading smartphones, even though there have been no significant advancements in the past two years.

All of these expenses should be cut short. After some time, once there is a bit more money accumulated in your savings account, numerous options will open up, creating faster ways of increasing the amount of money in your bank account.

Invest smart

This is something that requires experience and education. It is important to manage the money you saved in the appropriate way and use it to make more money. There are numerous financial experts who can help out before you acquire enough experience to grown on your own. When it comes to investing, it is very important to diversify your investments.

This will greatly lower the risks of you making a bad investment. For example, you can invest in real estate, startup companies, websites and many more things that are lucrative.

The local economy is great, but immediately start thinking globally, as there are numerous companies on different continents that are worth investing in. Make your financial assets more mobile by creating offshore accounts that will let you work with different currencies in different countries with ease.

When you realize that money is only a tool, you will make much better investment decisions, which will help your capital grow.

Become dedicated and work hard

It is easy to read about the right steps and know what to do, but the road to success has many obstacles. Create realistic goals and invest an incredible amount of time if you truly want to succeed. Not one person who successfully increased their capital did it easy. It takes thousands of hours only to be in a position to make smart moves. So, next time you are thinking about wasting time on some useless activity, think about what you should actually do to achieve the dream you are building for yourself. Once you are determined, nothing is going to stop you.

This does not mean that you should stop socializing, but it does mean that you should organize your free time in a much better way, a way that will let you earn more money.

These are three necessary steps that you should take if you want to succeed in accumulating wealth. It is much like a marathon and it takes a lot of time to reach the goal. But once you are there, the feeling of fulfillment is priceless.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/alexf/3-steps-you-should-take-if-you-want-to-accumulate-wealth/

5 Ways Auditory Learners Can Tailor Their Study Routine

As more students, teachers, and parents begin to emphasize the importance of learning styles, learners empower themselves to be more successful. Understanding how you learn is a crucial part of being a lifelong learner, though it can be a struggle to first determine how you learn best—and then act on it.

If you’re an auditory learner, you may find traditional classroom setups in which there is a lecturer beneficial to your process, and then struggle when you’re studying alone. Fear not! There are plenty of ways auditory learners can tailor their study routines for maximum success.

Practice repetition

While auditory learners benefit from hearing material read aloud, they can be especially successful when they’re able to repeat information and hear it for themselves. They’ll tend to remember tone, especially if they’re the one saying it. Sure, you may feel silly repeating information when you’re in a room alone, but it can help secure it in your mind.

Similarly, you may also ask your teacher for permission to record a classroom lecture. By hearing it yet again, you’ll have an easier time committing it to memory.

Grab a friend

Because repeating a lecture can only get you so far, auditory learners can really benefit from studying with a friend. The collaborative process of repeating information can be helpful, especially if your friend is also an auditory learner. By grouping up, you can hold discussions, quiz each other, or read the text aloud.

Variations of peer tutoring can work well for auditory learners also, so don’t be afraid to find other students who are interested in a study group.

Keep it quiet

As an auditory learner, you’ll want a study space that is relatively free from audible competition. This means turning the television off and (depending upon the situation/learner) monitoring your music. It will be important that you’re able to read and hear yourself read, so quiet is often best.

Your study area should also allow for you to make noise, however—a library may not be the best choice for learners who need to read aloud, listen to lectures, or discuss material with others.

Check with your teacher

Learners sometimes forget that teachers are often willing to accommodate different learning styles in unexpected ways. While this doesn’t mean assuming a teacher will be fully onboard for your out-of-the-box thinking, it can’t hurt to ask.

Find out if there are accommodations that can be made. Perhaps your teacher can provide video resources to supplement learning or will accept your essay in an audio format.  Maybe he or she is willing to be recorded or have audio lectures available—either way, you’ll be better off asking permission rather than forgiveness in this case.

Utilize technology

Today’s learners have a potential advantage over learners of past generations—we’ve got tons of technology at our fingertips. As an auditory learner, you’re in a great place to take advantage of the many tools available to you.

Podcasts are a great way to reinforce learning and can be great supplements for the materials presented in class. They’re usually free, easy to access, and portable. There are also audio recorders, text-to-speech programs, and other helpful websites available at little to no cost. Find out what resources might be available to you and try a number of them (even some paid services offer free trials) to see what works best for you.

The bottom line

While teachers are doing their best to accommodate most learning styles, you’re ultimately responsible for your own learning. Work with the teacher to establish a study setup that works for both of you, paying attention to the things you know you need as a learner.

Learning is often about experimenting, and this is true for all learning styles. By being open to new experiences, you’ll be able to tailor your auditory learning study routine for maximum success!
Heather Hamilton is a contributing writer for Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/varsitytutors/5-ways-auditory-learners-can-tailor-their-study-routine/

4 Different Insurance Types You Should Consider

As we go through life, there are numerous unexpected situations that occur. Some are pleasant, others are not, and we somehow get used to the fact that there is always a chance that something we didn’t planned might happen. However, there are steps we can take to prevent certain things and prepare for unexpected events. Insurance policies are the perfect way to deal with a variety of unpleasant situations. There are different types of insurance policies that are there to provide security in life.

Life insurance

This is practically the most important kind of insurance you can have. Especially if the whole family is relying on your paycheck. It is a selfless act, where you give your best to look after your loved ones in case of unfortunate circumstances. When it comes to determining how much insurance is enough, putting things down on paper makes it a lot easier.

It is important to take into consideration your monthly expenses, everything from food to bills, tax included. These expenses should be multiplied by the time period that needs to pass before your child is completely independent. It is not a complicated math assignment and once you get the numbers, it is time to do some research and see which insurance company has the best deal for you.

Vehicle insurance

This is a very important thing that many people forget to take care off. There are states where car insurance is mandatory so, unless you like paying for fines, having this type of insurance is a must. Even though vehicle security has advanced quite a bit thanks to new tech, accidents still happen and insurance can help greatly if you have a car accident. There are people out there who follow a logic that is completely wrong.

These things can happen to anyone, so it is very important to have car insurance. Each year, at least 10 million driving accidents occur. If it happens to you, insurance is there to cover the damage costs and medical expenses of injuries sustained in the accident. Having this kind of insurance is not a lot of stress on a budget, but it is tremendous financial security, as vehicle repair costs can be quite high.

House insurance

Having house insurance is incredibly important. There are numerous risks involved when you are a property owner. This type of insurance can save you in a variety of different situations. From a house fire to burglary, there is a variety of unfortunate occasions when having house insurance seriously pays off. Getting appropriate house insurance takes a lot of research as different insurance agencies offer different types of coverage.

Therefore, it is incredibly important to visit as many agencies as possible and pick the right type of insurance that suits your needs the most. Another things you should think about are the rates that an insurance company offers. If they have suspiciously lower rates and it’s a newer company, you should be more careful or even avoid doing business with them. Do your homework, analyze your options and pick the best one.

Pet insurance

Pet-keeping trends are growing each year, as numerous causes are fighting for keeping animals such as cats and dogs safe and away from the streets. People are adopting and keeping them as pets. What most people do not know is that there is always a chance of something going wrong with your pet’s health. These are the situations when your household’s budget can take a big hit, as animal treatments are not as cheap as one would expect.

This makes having pet insurance a viable option, as it can come in handy if your pet catches an illness. Like with all different types of insurances, finding the option that works best for you is fairly easy. With a little bit of online research, it is possible to find appropriate pet insurance reviews. Checking what kind of insurance exist out there is very important, as you want the best coverage for a variety of pet problems that might occur.

These are some of the common insurance types that many people forget to use. For a little bit of money each month, you can get quite a lot of protection for any unfortunate circumstances. If you want to sleep better, having these insurance policies is a good option that you should consider.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/nmanojlovic/4-different-insurance-types-you-should-consider/

Micro-influencers: Changing Face of Influence in Digital Marketing

From Pied Piper to Mike Jordan, from folklore tales to present day celebrity endorsements, we have seen the power of influence. Mike Jordan alone has raked in fortune, thanks to his endorsements for Nike, Gatorade, Hanes, Upper Deck, 2K Sports, etc. And what about Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and 50 Cents famous endorsements on the tube and social media platforms?

But what if you are a start-up and you don’t have millions of dollars. Don’t worry, you are not stranded. From the past couple years, digital marketers have discovered gold in the form of minor celebrities or micro-influencers. We have come a long way from million-dollar deals with celebs to $100-250 deals with YouTubers and Instagrammers who have a loyal following of tens and thousands of fans. Let’s see some famous examples of micro-influencers in digital marketing and understand how it works.

American Greetings

When American Greetings launched their Leap Day campaign named #ThankList, they used micro-influencers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to build awareness for their campaign. From Betty White to other lesser-known influencers promoted the tag and they got an overwhelming response. The post saw an engagement of over 19k followers on the influencer-generated post and in all 2152 user posts were generated within the campaign.

This post from Jessie James Decker garnered over 58.5k likes and 300+ comments. But while Jessie and Betty White are famous, a lot of others aren’t. Here’s how jeanatravels, a CA-based famous Instagrammer, blogger and photographer with over 18k followers promoted the hashtag and got over 400 likes. Jeana has no other claim to fame.

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Join the #ThankList #30DayChallenge: I’m thankful for my family – not a day goes by that they don’t make me laugh and love my life. I challenge my best friend Kas, @SouthernBellasWays, to create her own, share and join the challenge! For every #ThankList created and shared on social media, American Greetings will donate $1 to United Way Worldwide #ad #socialgood #dogood

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When compared to what Decker and Betty White achieved, this might seem quite less, but user generated posts are quite cost-effective and come across as genuine!

Love and Pieces

Love and Pieces is a small business catering to a very narrow niche with their designer jewelry. They are based in Miami and their business doesn’t seem very big or old and they seem a bit green at marketing, nevertheless, they hit the grand slam with their influencer marketing tactic. The best part is you don’t have to be a big company like Walmart or Nike to get influencers. Even small businesses who set up shop using DIY e-commerce platforms can find themselves good influencers in their budget. Love and Pieces went the influencer-route at just $100.

They contacted Jelly and Day, famous YouTubers with around 26k subscribers, through FameBit, because apparently they realized that video marketing is going big and they had to jump on the bandwagon. The video was watched over 28.7k times and got over 1600 likes. Jelly and Day are a cute lesbian couple and they don’t do many sponsored videos; they have hundreds of hilarious videos on everything from being lesbians to 6 ways to use a condom. They offered a special discount to code to customers who came from YouTube to track sales.

Source

However, since in this video their website was mentioned in the end, they decided to make a second video and this one turned out to be better than the first one. This video was created by Stephanie Lange and has been watched over 95k times and has around 2380 thumbs up. They even picked up many Instagram followers, so all in all, they had a nice experience with influencers.

Vend

Vend used Traackr to get in touch with 20 influencers, all popular editors from top retail publications and members of National Retail Federation. They further asked these 20 people to choose two more influencers and thus made a top 50 list. These people were asked to display Vend badge on their blog.

The result? They got 5,000 pageviews in the first 30 days with more than 500 social shares on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Their influencer outreach was scored at 23%, which compared to its competitors’ 0% reach looked phenomenal.

Walmart

It is not always small companies like Love and Pieces that are tapping into influencer marketing. Walmart too when they wanted to promote their Star Wars campaign. They chose Meghan McCarthy (cartoon voice impersonator), an active social media personality with presence on YouTube, Vine, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter of course. Nice choice on the influencer because the crowd who appreciates cartoon voices and play acting would appreciate Star Wars contest.

Anyways down to the details: Meghan McCarthy has over 1,100,050 followers on YouTube and if you are a millennial and spend too much time on social media, chances are you must have bumped into one of her snaps or videos. If not, congratulations, you just found out about her! Sorry, back to the topic again, the YouTube video was viewed 166,939 times and had around 7460 views and 600k engagements following the endorsement! If you are into weird girl-child voice, you can watch the video here.

From Universal Pictures to Amazon, a lot of Fortune 500 companies are now seeing the light and using the power of micro-influencing. With the face of changing influence, we can safely conclude that startups and small niche businesses are in for a lot of pleasant surprises.

Takeaways

Just a few takeaways before we leave:

1. Choose your influencer platform wisely; here’s a good guide to working with influential bloggers to help you get started
2. Design good content, contests or giveaways to ensure you get the most out of the campaign
3. Make sure your video, blog or post comes off as genuine as possible
4. Get your link or mention as early in the video or post as possible or you will just be pouring money down the drain
5. You can even go the road less trodden and get in touch with influencers directly, but something about the escrow payment services, make influencer platforms a good choice for newbies. So if you are a newbie, you know what you have to do.

Inscribe these 5 pieces of incredible advice on the wall above your desk or may be just on your sticky note!

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/twitter-avinair52/micro-influencers-changing-face-of-influence-in-digital-marketing/

How cloud based software can reduce your business costs

For years mobile phone networks held the reins when it came to price and feature options available on mobile phone plans. Networks would offer a certain amount of minutes, texts and data for a monthly fee over a period of around 12 or 24 months. However, with the rise of cloud based mobile phone applications the consumer is able to take back control of their phone usage and subsequently their spending. Though these apps are bad news for the big phone networks they’re undoubtedly beneficial to the public and could be good news for any small, large and expanding businesses too.

As recently as 5 years ago people were willing to pay a lot of money for phone bundles which included either limited or unlimited amounts of calls and SMS messages. But with the rise of FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger traditional phone calls are becoming obsolete meaning networks need to start lowering their prices to retain their customers. Why would anyone pay for a 100 free minutes when they can call any location in the world for free with the vast number of cloud based applications available. Consumers will simply not pay for a service they can get for free.

This same idea can be incorporated into any business and allow bosses and owners to save as much as consumers currently are. Whether your business has 4 or 4000 employees there are now legitimate options for running your business communications without using traditional phone networks. Skype and FaceTime, popular consumer examples of cloud based telecommunications, work in the exact same way as the larger scale software available for any business to upgrade to.

Hosted VoIP is the recommended cloud based technology for saving businesses money and propelling their software into a more high quality service.

“Our customers who enquire about Business Phone Systems often now opt for a Hosted VoIP system. It’s helpful to them because it’s a better product, at a lower price, and it’s great for us because our customers love it and there is a lot less maintenance on our side.” – Paul Conway PMC Telecom

Hosted VoIP systems conduct 100% of its calls over the internet instead of using the traditional hosted PBX systems and phone networks – saving the user any call charges. Particularly useful if you’re a frequent overseas caller or if you have offices abroad. VoIP to VoIP phone calls are completely free in the same way that Skype to Skype calls are however VoIP guarantees an HD voice quality that Skype cannot.

Because all the calls are internet based, staff don’t need to be sat by a landline to answer a particular phone call. Calls can be received via any smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC for free with the same call quality across the spectrum of usable devices assuming you have a good internet connection. Hosted VoIP is installed using an existing internet structure such as 4G, fibre or WiFi meaning installation, setup and maintenance costs can be reduced by up to 90% and the disruption very limited.

Companies who keep up to date with the latest and most beneficial technologies are switching over to Hosted VoIP to reap the numerous rewards. However, rather alarmingly, data released by PMC Telecom revealed that 72% of Telecoms customers do not know what Hosted VoIP is.
In an attempt to help companies get the best from their telecoms solutions they have released a fantastic easy to follow infographic and short explanatory video for those still unaware of the benefits of switching to a Hosted VoIP solution.

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